Intramural Spotlight: Kelly Barnes

For Muskegon junior Kelly Barnes class isn’t the only thing taking up her time at Central Michigan University. Barnes spends a great deal of it playing intramural sports.

Barnes plays for two IM sports teams this semester. She is on the coed basketball team “Lights Out” and coed soccer team “#SWAG (Suddenly Whales Are Gone).”

“I always make time to get out of the house and be active,” Barnes said. “This is part of my leisure time because all of us like to play sports and have fun. This team is so competitive and I love it. My teammates (have been) my friends since freshman year, so it’s nice to be able to keep in touch with them, and keep doing the things we love, which (are) sports.”

Kelly Barnes poses in front of the net before her practice in MAC2 downstairs at the SAC.

Since #SWAGhas been together for so long, some members of the team began to take the sport more seriously. Barnes said everyone is competitive and tries to give their all each game, but still like to have fun as well.

“Since we are so competitive, we can get on each other’s cases, but it’s never personal,” Barnes said. “We try to help one another and learn different strategies to make us more successful.”

Fellow teammate and senior Lance Jarvis praises Barnes on and off the court. Jarvis calls Barnes a very good teammate and friend.

“She does everything possible that is good for the team,” Jarvis said. “Kelly is very personable off the court too. She is very funny and will never say a bad thing about anybody. She’s an extremely hard worker without ever having to be too serious.”

Jarvis said whether Barnes knows how to play the sport or not, she always puts forth great effort.

Teammate and junior Hannah Maciejewski has a special bond with Barnes. The two have been friends for years, as they are both originally from Muskegon.

“I will always remember moving into the dorms together our freshman year,” Maciejeewski said. “She was the best roommate and Kelly is really competitive when it comes to sports, so I love playing IM sports with her and seeing her toughness come out on the field.”

When Barnes isn’t playing sports, she is working toward getting a degree in interior design.

Aside from majoring in interior design, Barnes is double minoring in art and construction management. There is a history of art majors in her family, which sparked Barnes’ passion for the subject.

“My grandma was an art major, so she taught me a lot,” said Barnes. “I decided to go into interior design because I really liked the idea of how space is used. It isn’t just picking fabric or putting furniture into a room. It’s the idea of making a space effective for whatever and whoever is going to be interacting in it.”

Barnes said IM sports allow her to play sports she didn’t get to try during high school. She said she encourages all students to get involved with IM sports.

“Anyone can play and it is a great way to relieve stress and get to know people,” Barnes said. “Just because you’re at school, doesn’t mean you have to be serious all of the time.”